Over the Fantasy
by Caitsith29
Summary: A young boy, wishing to escape the normality of his life, suddenly finds his wish has been granted. The bad news is that he has been turned into a mithra in the process.
1. Rude awakening

(A/N: This is only my second time tackling a project in first person. Hopefully I do a good enough job and you enjoy my work, regardless of any errors.)

I awoke with the sun blaring in my eye and a cool breeze washing over my face. Neither of which I had time to admire thanks to the insane headache that followed a moment after. Letting out a soft groan, I hefted myself up into a sitting position. The simple act nearly set me falling back into the grassy ground. Dear lord, my head hurt. I must have banged it hard on something, or maybe my baby sister decided to test the thickness of my skull again. She has a nasty habit of doing that when not being watched around blunt objects. Regardless, I did not need an expert to point something bad had happened. Even my voice from my painful grunts sounded off.

Rubbing my temples in a vain attempt to clear my head, I began to take stock of my surroundings. Clearly I was outside now; more specifically I was smack in the middle of a large grassy field. Yet I was not sure how I had gotten out here. The last thing I remember was passing out in front of my computer while playing a game. My mom must have heard it and dragged me out to get fresh air or something. Although I do not remember our backyard having this much open space and trees. For that matter I could have sworn we had more houses in the neighborhood. There was not a sign of civilization that I could see; except for maybe that strange tower over the hill to the west. What I think was west at this point.

My mind was starting to feel a lot better now, so I guess it was time for a damage assessment. Let us see, two arms; still there and looking more hairless than I remembered. Two legs; have feeling in them but the thighs look a little swollen. Two breasts; bouncing with each breath I took. Tail; attached and wagging happily. Things seemed to be in order at least.

Ever have one of those moments where your brain just seems to slam on the breaks? Mine did just that at about this point, and then slowly began to work backwards on what I had just observed. The same thought kept repeating itself to me over and over, sounding less surreal each time. I could not deny it either, since my nerves were registering it twitching among the grass behind me.

I had a tail?

Wait…I HAD BREASTS!?

My hands and eyes bolted to my chest at about the same time, but all that did was prove the impossible to me. I had boobs; huge ones at that. Okay maybe not that big by standards, but any guy would probably think the same in my situation. My mind was about ready to black out all over again as my hands gave them test squeezes. They were real alright, and softer than I expected for that matter. I could feel them being felt up too, bizarre!

It was during my self explorations I realized I was not even in my own clothes anymore. I always wore baggy clothes and had put on a black shirt and boxers before this. Now I was in something that looked like it barely qualified as an outfit. My chest was being covered by a leather halter top. Its low cut displayed a much larger amount of cleavage than I was comfortable with, which at this point was none. My breasts were overlapped by white cotton supported by gray, frilly straps wrapped around slender shoulders. That was all they covered, though. The garment ended just past my bust, leaving exposed a full six pack of tan skinned abs. I would have found that nice if I did not also have a waist caved in enough to wrap a straw around. To make matters worse my hips and buttocks flared out, creating a nice set of curves that would make the girls at my high school jealous. That would explain why it felt like I was sitting on a cushion.

Hanging around my broadened pelvis was some sort of loincloth to match my top. It had a large gray flap resting between my muscular thighs, a simple design of two rainbow colored triangles on the top and bottom decorated it. There were two shorter flaps resting against the sides of my hips and an even shorter one across my butt, though that one was cut in half to accommodate my new tail as well. I assumed the design was either to allow full body movement, or the tailor was a pervert. There was also a pair of green leather sandal on my new dainty feet, but a new thought began to dawn on me. With a shaking hand I lifted up the front flap of my new garment. Underneath was a non-impressive white cloth connected to the flap belt to cover the obvious privet parts, but that was not what I wanted to see. Part of me wanted to feel and confirm my worst fears, but it seemed redundant. The smoothness of my crotch said it all. I was a girl!

"This can't be real!" I nearly shouted. As if my voice would somehow shatter the hysterical spell coming over me. All that did was further add to my anxiety as the first exposure to my new voice reached my ears. This made me blink in confusion. Something did not feel right. Okay, a lot of things did not feel right, but this was something I failed to notice sooner. I reached up to feel my ears, or at least where they should have been. All I felt now around that area was smooth skin and silky hair. I brought a clump forward, not totally surprised to find it a thick red color. Even my hair had been changed. My other hand continued traveling up my head and finally found my ears mush closer to the top. It took me a few seconds to even realize it was my ear, for it was now coming to a sharp point and covered in a light coat of fur. Just like a cats ear, I realized with a sinking feeling. The slight contact of my fingers caused them to twitch instinctively.

The full gravity of what I had become hit home at that point. Somehow I had been changed from a sixteen year old high school boy into a cat girl; a mithra, no less. I glanced quickly again at my surroundings. Now I knew why it had looked so familiar. I had been playing just here a little while ago. This was smack in the middle of Sarutabaruta; a grassy field region in the land of Vana'diel. This was the world of a video game, and it was real! The cold breeze washing over my bare back was proof enough of that.

A strange animal sound caused my new ears to swivel behind me curiously. I had no idea they could do that, but it was not the time to dwell on it. Swallowing hard, I turned to face my visitor. The scream that followed brought new meaning to the phrase 'scream like a girl.' Here I am, a transgender victim half naked in an open field, and only yards in front of me sat the worlds biggest caterpillar. If memory served correctly, they were called crawlers. Not that my mind was totally focused on what it was called. More like on the way its giant mouth opened and closed with each breath it drew. I had not had a good chance to examine my new head yet, but I was pretty sure it could easily fit in there.

I stayed perfectly still as our matched gaze. The insane terror at seeing a worm the size of a pony kept me rooted on hands and knees. Much to my surprise this proved unnecessary a few seconds later. The crawler seemed to lose interest in me and began scuttling away towards a larger patch of grass. I rose to my feet and let out the breath keeping my breasts barreled out as it began to graze lazily.

"There you are, kupo!"

I let out a startled cry and fell back onto my rounded butt. A painful groan came out next as I landed on my own tail too. A strange white bear like creature had literally dropped out of the sky and hovered only a few feet away from my face. Its little deely-bobber danced around in rhythm to its small wings flapping. It looked like the creature was dancing in the air. Soon as my heart returned to a tolerable speed I recognized the creature as the famous final fantasy moogle.

"You got out a little further out than expected," it said with no notice of my discomfort. Sure seemed like a happy little bear creature. "I hope your wish was everything you desired kupo."

"My...wish?" I repeated in a daze and then gasped as the memories came back to me in wave.

I had just gotten home from a typical day at school. Naturally a good case of sitting down to video games is just what I needed to wind down. It was not like I had any of those 'real life' things my mom always nagged about. Seriously, after a hard day of getting overly nothing accomplished, pretending to be an overly stacked cat girl with a giant axe feels pretty gratifying. Not that I am a bad student, in fact I pass every test with flying colors. There is just no point in doing homework if I already know the subject matter by heart. That is where my mom and I have a difference of opinion.

Level building gets more boring than homework too, even in an online game. Instead I decided to participate in an event that was going on. The name of it was drawing blank right now, but it was some sort of fairytale theme. Not that the games events were worthwhile to begin with. Even if you get a reward it was usually some stupid play item. No real purpose to them except looking cute. Then again, when you are just starting out options are pretty limited. It was very easy once some friends had explained it clearly. The moogles sprouted nonsense about 'following the breadcrumbs' to a rare item and return it. I found my item easy, but it was an odd one. My friends had been finding things like cookies and pies. Mine was a black rabbits foot. That was a pretty exciting find. No one else on the server had any idea such a thing existed.

I ran back to the event moogle to turn it in. Even if it was an event reward, odds are it would at least look cool. Surprisingly the moogle gave me nothing. Instead it started dancing around in the air declaring I had won a free fairy wish. Moments later a window opened with those yes/no options asking if I had made my wish. The words that left my mouth before selecting 'yes' echoed through my mind. A feral sounding growl escaped my lips as I glared at the moogle, cat tail curled up at the ready.

"You did this to me!!" I shouted while lunging at the annoying white bear. He avoided my attack easily by flying straight up a few feet. After that gravity kicked in and I lost my anger, along with my breath, as my face connected with the grassy dirt. What an amazingly painful sensation; having your boobs crushed. Surprising how I never thought of things like that, back when all I did was look at them.

"I wish to escape this rut of a life and have a real adventure," the moogle said with a giggle as it hovered over me. I turned back over onto a sitting position, brushing loose strands of grass out of my puffy hair. "Is that not what you wished for kupo?"

"This was harrrdly what I had in mind." Oh great! I even had the mithras trademark accent. It really did sound like they purred when saying strong 'r' words. That was kind of creepy in person; more so because it was me making those sounds. "And I apprrreciate being knocked out before you gender bent me, very considerate of you."

The moogle shook its head sadly. It did not appear to care about my strife. "You did not specify the conditions your wish had to be met kupo! If you do not like the result you will just have to be more careful next time kupo."

"Next time!?" What I would not give to have my feminine hands on that moogle upon hearing that. "You can't just leave me strrranded like this!"

"Oh no, silly girl!" The moogle laughed heartedly and I felt a bit of relief. Hopefully this meant it was going to take some weight off my chest…figuratively speaking. "My transformation spell was cast a bit off and sent you all the way out here by accident. I rushed out to find you as fast as I could to bring you back to town kupo."

"Trrransformation spell!?" Well, so much for feelings of relief. The way the moogle said these things so casually was unnerving. It made me wonder how often people suddenly became a part of the video games they played. Wait, could have sown that was the plot to a fan fiction I had read once…

"Well, let's not sit out here and wait for yagudo to ambush us kupo!" The moogle clasped its tiny hand like paws together. Almost instantly large amounts of black energy began to form around them. "Hang on to your loincloth kupo!"

"What!? No wait!!"

There was a whole butt load of questions this moogle needed to answer, but it was too late to stop him. He thrust his hands forward to release the gathering energy and activate his spell. A strange chill enveloped my whole body, causing me to gasp. I looked down in horror to watch the dark energy form around my slim belly and quickly expand outwards. Within moments I was completely covered in the dark energy. No sooner did that happen then the energy began to recede back in on itself. That would not have been so scary if my new body was not disappearing with it! Fortunately the stress finally caught up with me, or maybe it was the spell. Either way I was blessed with passing out before the black energy caved in on itself. Vanish into thin air along with me.


	2. Catgirl in the Mirror

1.12Catgirl in the Mirror

Waking up suddenly with a headache in a strange place is scary. Having the same experience twice is just plain frustrating. Only difference this time was that I was blinded by light from indoor lamps and greeted by sounds of running water. My first conscious thought went along the lines of how well moogles might roast on an open fire. The second thought involved bringing a hand up to inspect my chest. It was still mostly soft and squishy. There went my hopes of this being a crazy dream. No point in fighting it. I could not sit on my fat butt expecting this to solve itself. With great reluctance I sat up and forced my eyes open. Sitting on a simple white sheet bed across from me was a girl with cat ears that took my breath away. Soon as that shock wore off, her cheeks turned a shade of red at my thoughts. I was looking at a full body mirror attached to the wall.

A quick glance around this new room turned unimpressive. The only other piece of furniture was a fairly large safe propped next to the doorway. I noticed the painting of a moogles face above the combination dial with distaste. Glancing over against the back wall, the source of running water was located. Almost the entire wall was taken up by a simple, but decorative, water fountain. Its purpose, either for drink or as a bathroom, was any ones guess. Not that I could avoid the basic things in life forever, but for now I was willing to stall. Sliding off the bed I made my way over to the mirror on quivering legs. Sex-Ed classes had taught me girls had a different center of balance, but try walking with a tail on top of that. The stupid thing had a mind of its own. I would try to counter my body weight, and nearly topple over as it went the opposite way. This was definitely something that would take some getting used too.

Standing in front of the mirror was a bit overwhelming. I was seeing my new body for the first time in detail. Someone had taken the liberty of removing my loincloth before putting me to bed. A disturbing thought in itself, but it did explain the draft. Now there was even less covering me than before. A simple linen bra with no shoulder straps supporting my chest and matching panties clung to my hips. Not the best choice for a fashion statement, even for underwear, but it did make me notice my muscles. While still having the luscious curves of a female, they had more noticeable mass than normal. Curiously, I flexed my right arm and give the bicep a test squeeze. Solid as a rock! Now there was a silver lining for you. My new body looked disturbingly hot, but was also more physically fit than I ever could have dreamed. The thrill seemed to melt away as my eyes traveled up to study this new mithras face. There was nothing recognizable in the sapphire blue eyes staring back. At least they were not silted like real cats eyes, I thought with a smirk. My hair was a lot poofier than I first thought. Like the fur on my new ears and tail, it was a dark crimson color that came to rest just above my shoulder blades. The front was split in half to form two giant bangs draping along either side of my face.

That was when I started to notice facial traits that were not so prominent when playing the game. They did not put much detail into those graphics to begin with. My nose seemed a little bit bigger than most girls I met, and the tip was colored almost a solid black. Closer inspection revealed even the nostrils came to narrow pointed ovals. That was when I noticed the streaks on my cheeks. One on top of the other branching off at forty-five degree angles a short distance from my nose. It certainly gave off the impression I had a cats nose and whiskers. Reaching up to feel my cheeks, it was not at all surprising anymore to find they were really made from a fine layer of fur. Pulling my hand away to give it a look, I saw that even my nails were a lot longer and dark colored than I normally had them. They were at least a quarter inch long from the fingertips and came to a nice fine point. I would not go so far as to call them 'claws,' but they sure looked like they could do damage if need be.

I turned my attention back at the mirror with the intent to glance over the rest of myself. That was a goal that quickly failed when I found myself eye level with a moogle floating between me and the mirror.

"Good morning, Mistress kupo!" it beamed with a cheerful wave.

Yeah, I screamed and tripped over myself trying to back away. Was not sure who would react differently in this case. The stupid white bear things seem to like scaring on purpose. Fortunately the ground broke my fall, but I did learn the experience of sitting on my own tail. Not something recommended for people who have them. The moogle swiftly floated down over me in a panic.

"I'm sorry mistress kupo. You're not hurt are you?"

"I'm having too strrrange a day to worry about pain rrright now, thanks." I stood back up and examined my new visitor. Something told me this was not the same moogle I had encountered in the field. For one thing it was sweating bullets the longer I stared at it. "Not to be rrrude or anything, but um…who are you?"

"Oh!" The moogle smiled again as it did that strange air dance. It was starting to make me feel a bit queasy watching. "I'm your house moogle sent by the Mog House Management Union of Windurst kupo! I'm here to help you in all your home needs for adventuring kupo."

So that is what this place was. Amazing I did not recognize it sooner. Every adventurer in the game got a mog house to 'live' in between adventures. They call it a house but it is really just a single room with a moogle to act as a mini-butler. Though it was comforting to have a refuge from the public, it did raise a lot of questions. The most prominent being; who the hell signed my up as an adventurer? I really wanted to thank them right then…with my 'claws.'

"Are you okay mistress?" the moogle asked, snapping me from my thoughts.

"Oh I'm okay," I lied through a smile as I rubbed my lower back. "Just a little bruised from the fall."

"I'll see what I can do about getting carpet put in kupo!" I do not recall asking for that, but why ruin the little guys mood. It was moogle from the field I wanted to throttle. "Is there anything else I can assist you with kupo?"

"Actually, yes." I gestured down to my half naked body. "Mind telling me where my clothes are?"

"Why right over here kupo!" The moogle zipped across the room and landed on top of the safe. It made me feel a little retarded missing the obvious. "No need to worry about the combination, this safe will only open for either you or me kupo. It's where I store anything you give me, mistress."

"Thanks, but please don't call me mistress." Obviously I was not going to explain to him why, but that title was very disturbing. Besides, he might report me to that union or something if I raved about being a guy.

"I'm sorry kupo. What is your name, mistress?"

I stopped in mid-stride on my way to the safe. The simple question hit worse than all the other sledgehammers combined. Everything else was as clear as day. What I looked like. The places I went to. Even all my friends and family were perfect memories. Yet this question was one that left me terrified.

"Mistress?"

"I…I don't know my name," I said. Even my tail was starting to tremble now. It finally became clear the price of my careless wish. That event moogle had changed my life, my gender and even my whole identity. My cheeks were becoming a little cold as tears started to fight their way past my eyes.

"I'm sorry kupo." The moogle sulked sadly on top of the safe. "I was told you were a little different from a normal adventurer, but didn't know it was so harsh kupo."

I had to literally slap myself back to reality in order to start moving again, much to the surprise of my new mog friend. The shock alone was all that was needed to get the mind going again. The answer to this problem was just as obvious as the cause. "It's alrrright. I don't plan to adjust to this for very long anyway."

"Kupo? You mean you're already recovering your memories?"

I stared at the moogle while wiping away my tears; wondering just what he was told about me. However, that might be something better off not knowing. "Something like that."

The moogle just nodded as it watched me open my storage safe. Inside turned out to be a lot more stocked than expected. Heck, it even looked bigger on the inside. The loin cloth I had been wearing earlier was resting neatly on a coat hanger against the back wall. Next to it was a slightly less revealing set of black leather made clothes. Funny thing is; I would have been thrilled to see a girl wearing either of these outfits. Now I had to consider that fact it was ME wearing these things. And the idea of strutting around in chafing, hot leather was not sitting well. No wonder girls got offended by the suggestions.

"Why do mithras always wear such perrrverted outfits?" I muttered while struggling to get the leather vest open. It closed up in the back with a bunch of crosshatch laces like a corset. Problem was I had no idea how the hell to put it on.

"I don't understand kupo?" said the moogle, thinking I must have asked it a question.

"It's nothing," I said quickly. My thinner fingers were making it difficult, but I finally managed to undo the knot at the bottom and spread out the lances. It became clear I could either try stepping into the vest and sliding it up my legs, or drop it overhead. After a few seconds of debate I finally decided on the later. The moogle giggled as I tried to dress for the first time. It came to place on my torso with little problems, just messing up my already poofy hair. I tightened the straps and secured the knot as best I could and went to the mirror to see the results. At least it was not as revealing as my halter top had been. The chest and shoulder blades were of a plain design, but covered the areas completely with a pretty thick layer of grey leather. This ran off into a darker, but thinner, leather wrapped around my waist that seemed to support the flaps stitched together to make a skirt that hung down to my knees.

The 'pants' that came with them were not so much pants as they were a giant pair of panties. The leg covers were completely cut off leaving a material that barely covered my feminine pelvis, leaving the rest of the legs completely exposed. I slid them up quickly before I could reconsider. Of course, it was not like the safe was full of blue jeans. They were a bit of a snug fit, but I only checked them long enough to be reassured my real panty lines did not show. A few of the girls in my classes once complained about things like that, and now I was beginning to understand why. Staring at the smooth surface where my manhood had once been was not a great moral booster though.

The shoes and gloves were no picnic either. Searching the safe again found a pair of healed boots, which came so high they almost touched my knees. On a top shelf rested some gloves that ran up to my elbows and even had slight flaps. Overall it felt more like I was dressing for an S&M meeting rather than an adventure. All that was missing was a whip and maybe some chains. Too bad the game had neither of those.

There was also a leather bandana among the clutter of items. With a shrug I tied it around my forehead to complete the set. Any protection was better than running around half naked, and it did help keep my bangs out of my face. That was when I noticed the sword. It was a simple blade weapon with a thin one-sided blade. As I inspected it a new thought sparked into my head.

"What job am I anyway?" I asked my new moogle friend.

The moogle just stared blankly at me for a moment. Although it was still long enough to make me feel uneasy. Suddenly it let out the loudest laugh I had ever heard. "You really are a strange one, mistress kupo. No offense, but you don't even know what your profession is, kupo?"

"I did not ask for sarrrcasm, thanks." The sword found itself a new resting place against my left hip. It was the only available weapon sans bare hands at the moment. Granted there was a job class in the game that used bare hands, but that did not seem to feel right.

"I'm sorry mistress kupo," the moogle pouted. "Your current profession is that of a mithran warrior kupo. Did you want to change it?"

That came as no real surprise, considering I had the build of a fighter. The sword, on the other hand, was definitely going to have to go. It was a common fact in the game warriors are experts at the battle axes. A sly grin spread across my face as I pictured swinging a really big one at my foes. It was a moment of anticipation that past quickly. I shook my head to refocus my thoughts. No way in hell was I planning to stay that long.

"Kupo?" The moogle must have taken my silence as anger. He was really starting to look anxious now.

"Maybe later, moogle." If there is a later, I added mentally as I gave him a warm smile. "Where can I find the ones that run the current special events and games?"

"Events kupo?" I watched him cross his arms in thought for a few seconds, and suddenly he brightened back up. "Oh you mean the Festival of Fantasy! My cousins run that by the entrance gates to the city kupo."

"Perrrfect!" I gave my little friend a cheerful hug and skipped to the door. "Well it was good to meet you. Don't take it perrrsonally if you never see me again."

"Kupo!? Wait, mistress! I haven't told you-"

The door closing behind my tail cut off the moogle. Poor thing was a bit of a spaz if you ask me. On the other hand, I have yet to meet the other races in this world. The thought made me shudder as I walked through the residential area. The plan was simple and very reassuring. All I had to do was find the event officials, earn another wish and problem solved! Failing that, I'd just threaten thee moogles with my sword. There was nothing left to loose anyway.

The confidence that built up quickly faded as I approached the exit arch. My cat ears twitched as they began to pick up the sounds of city life. By the time I had reached the arch and the descending staircase I was having a hard time keeping my breath normal. The important thing was to get there quickly and not draw attention. Taking a deep breath, I raised my head in pride at the sparkling green city of Windurst before me.

"Look out Vana'diel, here I come!"

Too bad the focus on my nerves made me forget I was still in an entirely different body. I took the first step with extra enthusiasm and overshot it by a good half foot. Even my cat features could not help keep me balanced this time. The archway echoed my frightened yelps with each and every step I slammed and toppled into. My view was little more than a whirlwind of stone and figures whizzing by. Gravity did not finally release its hold on me until I came crashing face first into the dirt at the bottom of the steps. The lower half of me stayed vertical in the air for a few seconds before falling forward in a painful thump. This marked the second time today I had crushed my own tail. Not that the pain was noticeable with the way the sky was spinning above me.

Oh yeah, I was going to fit right in here.


	3. Bad to Worse

1.21Bad to worse

_Jonas:_

Ah, the joys of festival events in Vana'diel. Where even the most humble of adventurers can sit back and enjoy life. And then there were people like me. Does not matter what the moogles set up for fun, there will always be work to be done. That was my family motto…that I made up.

"Hey, watch it, you damn elf!" An angry hume said after a near collision with my chest.

"Very sorry about that," I replied sheepishly, quickly hopping aside to clear a path down the grassy trail.

The older man shook his head and continued walking down the path towards Windurst Woods. Ignoring his angry muttering, I continued on my own way path. Upon reaching the archway to the mog homes, my linen robes parted to produce a new gil pouch. Yup, festivals are the perfect time for business. After making sure the coast was clear, I leaned against a nearby tree to count my new fortune.

A whole three hundred gil. Well that was a complete waste of time.

"Yanno, ya shouldn't count other peoples money in public?" a voice said from above.

Branches rustled in a flurry of motion as a small figure dropped down into the dirt just feet from me. Instinctively a hand shot to my dagger hidden just under the draping of my left sleeve, but then I recognized the tarutaru in red clothes. I drew my dagger slowly, casually fiddling with it in my right hand as I studied him. Sure he only came up to my knees, but those guys can still surprise you. "You never complained when I gave you a cut, Red. Now what do you want?"

The little tarutaru looked at my weapon and a hint of anxiety swept briefly across his childish features. "Still as friendly as ever, I see."

"Manners only apply to friends. You know that."

"Still angry about that mimic, huh?" Red waved dismissively with a laugh. "Not my fault ya're a lousy thief."

"I'm sorry!" The gripe on my dagger tightened. "Don't think I heard you right. What was it you're bothering me with again?"

"Temper, temper," Red tsked me calmly, though he took a step back. "Is this how ya treat all yar friends when they come to give ya warnings?"

I had expected news like this for days now, but it still came as a bit of a shock. At the very least they could have sent a weak assassination attempt. Instead the messenger is a little shrimp, who I would not mind deep frying. Red must have noticed my surprise, as his smile took on a hint of smugness. Sighing dejectedly I sheathed my dagger. It was beginning to attract the unwanted attention of passersby.

"Speak fast, little mage. I'm a busy elvaan."

"Ahem!" Red faked a cough, holding up his small palm expectedly. It took a minute to comprehend his meaning, and then I hurled my newly acquired gil pouch hard against his chest. He ignored my irritation and giggled happily as he opened the pouch to inspect the contents.

"Still the shortest bastard alive, I see."

"No honor among Tenshodo, ya know that." Red took his sweet time counting the meager offering before pocketing it away. "Besides that's what I came to warn ya about anyway."

"Figured as much." Rolling my eyes, I turned to leave. "Tell Navos he'll get his money and leave me alone."

Not sure how, but after only one blink the tarutaru was directly in front of me again. Do not seem to recall him being the fast last time we met. Except the one time that horde of orcs started charging.

"Ya've been saying that for nearly three months now," he continued, looking more solemn. There was a dark sense behind those eyes that made me shiver. "And unless you been pickpocketing little children every 2 minutes since, I have little doubt ya're able to pay yar debt."

"Hey now! That was just some loose change for dinner."

"Excuses don't work anymore, ya know that." Red adjusted his triangle pointed red hat. That feathered thing was staple equipment among red mages. Do not ask me why, I think it looks stupid. "Boss Navos is sick of putting up with a flake that can't even do what they get paid for. Now he's under pressure for yar failure. The higher ups want either cash or blood soon. Sorry, but ya got a week to cough up the bosses gil or he's putting up the bounty."

A dry laugh escaped my lips. Even I thought it sounded forced. "You can't be serious!"

Red shrugged. "Unlike you, I just do what I'm told."

"Boy are you nicely wiped," I shot back, but lacked the tone to make it insulting. Despite my usual cool act, I could feel a cold sweat begin to break out across my forehead. The heels of my sandals dug up a little dirt as I shifted my weight. Bad enough getting involved in the underground, but to think they would actually put a bounty out on my gorgeous face. That is a crime in and of itself, if you ask me.

"Yanno, if ya're really desperate for money you could rob those girls always swooning after ya." Red chuckled at his own idea. For claiming to be my friend, he was sure enjoying the situation.

"You know damn well girls don't just drop what they're doing to come after me."

"JONAS!"

Several people dived out of the stairway to make room for a figure dashing by. Moments later, a young blond mithra ran up to the tree heavily winded. Her cute cat ears dropping slightly as she glanced around in confusion. Although I had to admit the view of her rapidly bobbing cleavage through her tank top was nice.

"What the? I could have sworn I just heard my Jonsey talking out here," the catgirl muttered while looking around the square. Her baggy linen pants flapped in the wind as she walked around the tree in hopes of finding me. All that did was cause loud clattering from the iron knuckles hanging from either side of her hips.

"Oh hello, Mai," Red said as he casually examined his fingernails. His small stature made him almost totally invisible to our new arrival.

"Aw, Red!" the young mithra bent down to give Red a hug. It was hard not to laugh at the way his cheeks redden from the contact. "I didn't know you were in town. Have you seen Jonas anywhere?"

"Nope." Red adjusted his cap while trying to hide a smirk. "I was looking for him myself actually."

"Oh. Well, let me know if you run across him. That silly elvaan still owes me a date! I even got a new dress to show him."

"Ya'll be the first on my notify list, Mai." Now there was a lie if I ever heard one. He definitely made a more convincing liar than me. Maybe it was the fact he had the face of a four year old. Odds were he'd tell every nearby bounty hunter, and then collect my head himself. A true friend indeed!

The mithra nodded happily at his words. Spinning in place on her slip on shoes, she skipped up the mog house steps, tail held high, and vanished from sight. Red waited almost a full minute longer before rapping on the tree trunk. A quick stumble, a tree branch to the face later and I was back on the ground picking leaves out of my hair. The stupid tarutaru made hiding up there look so easy.

"You were saying?" Red asked, not bothering to hide his laughter now.

"Oh you're just jealous they like us tall races more."

"Yeah, that must be it." Red rolled his eyes.

"At least we agree on something." I straightened out my long grey hair to its natural perfection. "With a face like this, I could get any girl under my arms in three days."

Red opened his mouth to say something, but then suddenly began to tap his chin thoughtfully. A sure sign his next words were not going to be very comfortable ones. "I'll take that bet."

I leaned against the tree laughing softly. Sometimes it is just nice to sit back and watched the sway a female humes hips as they walked by. Adventurers always did get the best style of clothes. She was probably a ninja by the pattern markings on her short pants. Those were always fun on dates. Unfortunately it sunk in at some point during my daydreaming that Red was still talking.

"Excuse me!?"

"Yeah, why not?" Red had that look in his eyes again. My legs still had bite marks from the last time that happened. "As yar buddy, the least I can do is give ya a sporting chance at settling yar debt."

"Go on?" Well, I had nothing left to lose. Actually I had a lot to lose when a tarutaru was involved. At least things can not get much worse by listening.

"Just what ya said and I'll even go a little extra. Two weeks. I want to see you and a girl of my choosing walking through Windurst with her arms around you."

"Two weeks?" I blinked, doing the math. "But won't I be dead by then?"

Red shrugged. "If you can avoid Tenshodo hunters that long you deserve a medal, let alone the amount of gil you owe them."

I raised an eyebrow. Sometimes the urge to drop kick the little guy really gets fired up. "And what's the stakes?"

"How does five hundred thousand gil sound?" Red watched my jaw fall right to the ground. "I guess that will do."

"Just a little bit." There had to be a catch to all this. Little red bastard was practically handing me twice my debt in gil. "Okay, you got a deal."

We shook hands once and turned to face the crowd moving back and forth from the residential entrance. Already my eyes were sizing up any and everything female that came into their view. Some lingered a little more than others, but still I moved on. Did not matter which one he picked. The little tarutaru was about to learn the true power of elvaan charms.

"So hurry up and pick the lucky girl already!" I said after almost five minutes of waiting.

"Oh, do have some patience," Red replied. His own eyes were darting among the crowds, but with a lot more focus then before. "It's no fun if ya don't entertain me too."

The implication made me turn to face the little red mage. Now he was just getting a little scary. "Do you stalk me or what?"

"It's my job." He gave me a wink which made me shudder.

Without realizing it, my hand was already resting on the hilt of my dagger again. Fortunately another turn of events prevented anything violent from happening. A scream, almost as loud as Mais, erupted from the top of the stairs. This one, however, was one of total surprise and panic. We both turned in surprise to hear startled cries and the repeated thuds of something falling down the steps. Seconds later a mithra in full leather armor tumbled into view. She rolled head over heels out of control down the steps to land face first into the dirt ground. The momentum hoisted up her tailed rump and left it hanging in the open air. This created an amusing spectacle, to say the least. The amazingly stupid entrance had caused the entire square to stop and gawk along with us.

"Wow, they make any old ditz an adventurer these days." I turned laughing to Red, which was quickly cut short when I saw his smile. Before, it was just a bad sign. Now teeth were beginning to show. Just the sight created a very disturbing pit at the bottom of my stomach. "What!?"

Red said nothing, but simply pointed at the mithra still propped upside down in the dirt. All humor drained away at the unspoken signal and I turned to examine my new challenge. Gravity had regained control of the mithras legs, slowly causing them to teeter. She tumbled forward sharply, leaving her lying on her back. The sharp yelp that escaped probably meant it was a painful landing. While I still had no doubt of my abilities, I was not very sure I wanted to go through with this. There were enough careless klutzes to go around as is without actually having to charm one.

"Best two out of three?" I asked Red meekly.

The tarutaru simply shook his head and began to walk away. "See ya in two weeks; if Navos doesn't get ya first anyway."

What I would not give for a giant rock to hurl at the little midget right now. Unfortunately, he had vanished into Windurst Woods before I could find a suitable projectile. Ah well, bigger problems to take care of first. The square had gotten over its shock and began to gradually resume the various activities taking place. The mithra now appointed to be my next girlfriend began to sit up. She still looked in a daze from that fall, the way she wavered about.

I dashed across the square from my hiding spot, determined to get there first. At least this was someone in need of a hero. One of the easiest parts to play when it comes to swooning, I might add. All it takes is a little wit and maybe some backbone. A naïve little girl without a clue always falls for that stuff. She will be eating out of my palm in no time. Easy prey, fast cash and my butt will be saved from a possible backstabbing.

"Excuse me, miss," I said upon reaching her. The mithra was looking a lot more focused now and was already starting to stand back up when I offered her a hand. "Do you by chance need any help?" 

The response I got was far from usual. Her sparkling blue eyes widened in horror, cat ears folding back. It looked like she was ready to scream bloody murder at any second. Time just seemed to freeze as our eyes stayed locked on, both of us now completely unsure how to respond to the other. You would swear she never had a guy offer her a free hand before. Just as it occurred to me to try introducing myself, her cute face twisted into a sneer. She finished standing on her own and straightened out the bandana tied across her flaming red hair.

"Get bent!" was the only response as she stormed by me. Before I had time to recover the mithra was long gone. Leaving me standing in total shock with my hand still outstretched in offering.

A few people nearby laughed at the exchange and for the first time EVER I felt my face flush. That was definitely not supposed to happen. She was supposed to smile and accept my offer. Then I would offer to buy her a drink and spend the next three hours pretend to be interested in her sad excuse of a life as we gradually got drunk. Granted most people in general hold their drink better than me, it was still a good way to converse.

Check that, it did not happen. No girl ever said no to me, and this one would not be the first. It was just a bad miscommunication somewhere. That had to be it. Thankfully those were easy to recover from. Maybe this would not be the big break I was expecting, but I was far from done yet. Dashing off down the road, I soon had her in my sights again at the big tree fountain in Windurst Woods market area. She seemed to be in a hurry herself. Her fast pace was making a beeline straight for the exit gate to Sarutabaruta.

Forget the debt, now my pride was on the line. Not even the goddess Altana would take that from me without a fight. I will have this girl, even if it does take two weeks.


	4. Persuasive Turnabout

1.22Persuasive Turnabout

"Hey, wait up!" I shouted as the distance between us closed.

One good thing about being a thief was our ability to run fast when we wanted to. Unfortunately, the mithra took one look over her shoulder and broke into a frantic run herself. It is unbelievable a girl would ever play hard to get. She could at least give me a chance first.

"Wait, I said!"

My boots were literally starting to kick up dust now. Our chase rounded the bend into a clearing that was the West Sarutabaruta exit. She was making a beeline for the moogle running the recent festival under a tree off to the side. A girl was actually turning down a date with me to play stupid moogle games. Red really did peg a weird one. It did not matter since I managed to get directly in front of her before she could even get half way to her target.

In hindsight that might have been a bad idea considering she was running full speed as well. The resulting collision knocked us both flat on our butts, much to the surprise and amusement of the people looking. Even with little birds dancing around my vision, there was still enough clear thought to cause my cheeks to flush harder than before.

"What are you? Some kind of deprrraved stalker!?" The mithra half yelled at me from her forced sitting position; although her attention was more on her lower backside after landing on her tail again. The pained expression on her face made me glad to never posess such an appendage.

"It would make my life so much simpler that way." I began to wonder if it was too late to find Red and negotiate a new bet.

Her eyes grew wide at my mutterings. "Come again!?"

"N-nothing, my dear mithra!" I said, quickly standing up to offer her my hand. "My name is Jonas. Perhaps I can be of some assistance to you?"

She stared at my hand again, this time skipping over the frightened look straight to one of anger. Standing on her own to her full height, which was only about to my chest, she jabbed a pointed nail against my robes. Those things are sharp.

"First of all; I'm not your dear mithra. I'd sooner kiss a rabid dog. Second, I'm just fine without you blocking my way. And finally my face is further upwards!"

"Huh?" My eyes gazed up from her leather-clad bust to meet a face of beauty, currently twisted with signs of repressed rage. As if it is my fault women are so boring when they babble on. "Well I am sorry for the crash. It's dangerous to run that fast in a public area."

"I'll keep that in mind." Ms. Mithra straightened and began to walk past me, nose held high.

"Now wait just a second," I said as I grabbed her elbow, halting her escape. "It's common manners to give your name when someone offers theirs."

"Really!?" She blinked at me in surprise, and then smiled casually. "I had no idea. When I find my manners, I'll get back to you."

Wow, she was playing a little too hard to get now. That last insult left me a little too stunned to keep my grip. With one yank, she broke her arm free and continued walking past. At this point it is safe to say formalities are not going to work with this girl. One would think an obviously new adventurer would jump at the offer for help. Quick action is necessery or I was going to lose the catch before it even bit.

"So…uh…doing the festival games that important, Roxie?"

Her steps came to an abrupt halt. The cattail whipped through the air as she turned to stare at me. Bingo! We finally managed to get some common ground. That got one chance and that is all an elvaan needs.

"My name isn't Roxie, but yes. What do you know about this event?"

I shrugged, grinning slyly. "You look like a Roxie to me. As for this event, I can't say I know the details. Only that it requires the skills of an expert treasure hunter."

"Hey yeah!" The way her face suddenly brightened up was fantastic. Smiling definitely made her look cuter. "Do you happen to know any?"

Okay, perhapes it is not that much cuter. There was not even an opportunity to rebuttal. She promptly turned her tail back to me and continued on her way to the moogle. It greeted her with a cheerful wave and that sickening air dance moogles like to do.

"Welcome to the Festival of…"

"Yeah yeah yeah," she said with 'get on with it' wave of the hand. "I already know the details. I'd like to trrry the event again please."

"Oh, okay kupo." It was funny seeing a moogle at a lose for words. Recovering quickly, the moogle raised a paw and placed a shinning gold bag on the center of her leather vest. "There you are kupo. We moogles have hidden items all over Windurst in celebration of the event. Once you and your partner find one, return to us for a special prize based on its rarity."

"My partner!?" She said with a confused tilt of the head. While they had been busy talking, I took it as an opportunity to get in just a few feet behind her. I guess being that close did create that impression. Unfortunately, she turned and seemed less than thrilled at the idea. "Are you still here!? Leave me alone alrrready!"

"Hey now," I held up my palms in defense. Mithras are scary when they get angry. "No need to get upset Roxie."

"My name is not Roxie!" she nearly screamed, stomping her foot and startling a few nearby kids.

"Will you tell me your real name?"

"Not if we were the last pair on earth." As an added effect, she crossed her arms and turned her black feline nose high in the air.

"Then you shouldn't mind being called Roxie, should you?" There was no way to suppress the grin spreading across my face. Especially when the mithra glared daggers back at me, yet could not offer a reply. Not sure what kind of rod got stuck up this girls backdoor, but maybe it was best left unknown. At least now her attention was undivided.

"Whatever, I have an item to find," she said after a long pause.

Standing in her path was obviously not going to work. All it took was one more warning glare, and I leapt out of the way to allow her space. Too bad she was seriously underestimating my stubbornness here. Something she learned when I promptly matched her footsteps only three paces behind her wagging tail.

Her body tensed up and cat ears folded back in agitation, but she continued walking. It became an uneasy silence when we entered the main square of Windurst Woods again. Good thing it only lasted a few seconds after she took an abrupt right turn down the first path available. At least there was shade from all the trees here. That did not cool me off for long, since she took a sharp right turn again. Risking a glance around, I saw we had reached what made up the Dhalmel habitat of the city. Most of the long necked creatures were off sleeping in a shaded groove while a pair munched on the leaves of a nearby tree.

Roxie seemed to ignore her surroundings completely. Only the sounds of our footsteps on the wooden pier leading through the habitat echoed in the air. It was no surprise to find a lack of people in this area. There were no merchants in this area, and few adventurers came this way. Unless they wanted to speak to the infamous Nanaa Mihgo, which I hope was not the case. I still owed her a drink. Thankfully she veered right again, heading off the main path that way into a smaller closing of wooden houses.

"You know," I said in an attempt to break this annoying silence. "You could be a little nicer to someone that's just trying to help."

The mithra came to a sudden halt, almost resulting in me running straight into her shapely backside. She half turned to give me a look that would melt Selbina butter.

"I didn't ask for yourrr help. You just follow me around and prrretend I care."

I gave a solemn nod in return. "Momma used to say the same thing to me. It's an elvaan curse."

There was a pause in our gazes before I saw Roxies face falter. The corners of her lips cracked upwards, almost betraying a smile. However, that moment passed and she turned her back to me again. Without giving another word, she headed straight to the nearest house. From there I watched in confusion as she began to search through a bunch of wooden crates and baskets off to the side. At least she might not be a total snob, even if her habits are a bit weird.

"So, uh, what exactly are you doing?" A basket came haphazardly my way, but I easily avoided it with a step to the side. It landed on the ground next to me, snapping open at several seems. Hope no one expects me to pay for this.

"It was here last time I did this," Roxie replied as she continued rummaging. She was throwing containers in every direction. A sense of growing frustration in her voice rose with each item. "Maybe I'll get lucky for once today and find it again."

"And what is it you're looking for?" I had to duck to avoid a small crate grazing my face. Somehow, it felt that one was a deliberate toss, but still she dug on in her search. Debris was now starting to coat most of the pier floor, and my desire to leave grew with it. They must not teach subtlety to mithras much these days. "I'm great at finding treasure. Maybe I can get it for you?"

The reply laugh, though apathetic, was still better than her usual fit of anger. "And I suppose you want nothing in return?"

"Well…" The thought trailed off when I noticed her bent over, chest buried inside a large open crate. Even a man such as me cannot refuse the urge to stare at such a presented rear end. "I could name a few things I'd like…"

"What?" Her head reappeared out of the wooden box. I could feel my cheeks blushing slightly under her quizzical gaze.

"I…I mean we could go for a drink, maybe even a meal." That was very smooth, Jonas. I have given out date requests to a gigas better than that. On the other hand, no one ever ran into gigas acting totally out of character. Either way, that crate she was bending over was the next expected projectile to come my way. Yet she surprised me with a smile and a shake of her head.

"You're perrrsistent, but no." Roxie moved the crate aside and moved on to inspect the contents of a woven basket. Batches of fruit began to fly over her shoulders, splattering against the wall of the groove. "Considering the day I'm having, I just want a black rabbits foot to end it."

Okay, she has lost her mind. Not to mention it was not worth being here when the owner of all those supplies she was flinging returned. Even Red would have to reconsider the insanity of this bet after watching such a display. Turning to leave, my foot made contact with a solid object on the ground that promptly slipped out from under me. Fortunately, there was plenty of crap on the ground to break my fall, my back, and possibly a few fingers. A shrill noise rang in my airs, adding to my new headache. It was not until I sat up that I realized the sounds were coming from Roxie. The mithra had her arms wrapped around her belly, leaning against the building for support as she bawled with laughter.

"Good to know I'm not the only one with balance problems," she squeaked out between giggles.

"All part of my plan," I lied while pushing back onto my feet. Brushing some flour off my robe, my gaze drifted down to see what had tripped me. "What the heck is this thing?"

The mithra replied with something, but I was too busy brushing some broken pottery aside. A sly grin crossed my face as I realized what the object was. I picked it out of the debris and gave it a good shake, sending flower everywhere. Resting in my grasp was a small, black furred paw attached to a gold link chain. Bit of an ugly thing to cause a grand scale sacking for, but that is women for you. Knowing my luck, she was one of those freaks with a collection of monster body parts. I twisted around with the intent of giving Roxie a well-deserved slam; only she beat me to it. Literally, she slammed into me with arms wrapped around my chest in a frantic bear hug.

"Ohmygod! Youfoundit! Youfoundit! Youfoundit! I owe you such a big apology!" she said with shaking me side to side in the air. Apparently being almost two feet taller than her meant nothing to her physical standing. A fact that became even more apparent when my ribs began to crack in protest against her bust. It all felt a bit reverse somehow.

"Can't…breathe!"

"Oops," Roxie released me suddenly, with me just barely managing to remain standing. She put her hands behind her, laughing sheepishly. "Sorry about that. Guess I don't know my own strength."

"No…shit," I said between pants. Even for a mithra, she did not look that strong. It made me wonder what they fed such a race back on their home island. After a few seconds of recovering, I held up my new treasure in offering. "So I take it this is what you've been so hell bent to get?"

"Y-yeah." Roxie nodded, giving a nervous smile as she approached. "You have no idea how much I owe you for this."

Just as her hand reached out to take it, the paw retracted back. Instead, it finds a nice place scratching behind my pointed right ear. "Is that so?"

"Well, yeah." The flicker of anger returning to her eyes said she already knew what was coming. "Arrren't you going to give it to me then?"

"In do time, my dear Roxie." She tried a snatch at the rabbits paw, but my hand was quicker. The object vanished from sight into my back pocket. "I think I deserve a little compensation after getting such harsh treatment."

"I alrrready said I was sorry. What more do you want?" I opened my mouth to reply but she quickly added, "And if you say 'a kiss' I'll slug you where you stand!"

"Oh no, silly! Besides, I never expect one until the second date."

"Second…" Wow. I thought only undead could get that pale faced until now. Even her tail sunk so slow it looked ready to fall off. "You can't be serious."

"Just a dinner and drink," I assured her. "After that, I walk you anywhere you want and you'll never hear from me again."

"Knew it was too easy," she muttered while massaging her forehead. A chill breeze rushed through the area, settling into a silence as I let her consider the offer. Finally, her eyes emerged from her lowering hand to stare through me. "Never again?"

"I swear I'll try to avoid you if we do cross paths again." That was my most truthful statement in a while. It was going to be a miracle if I survived just dinner with her.

At first it looked like she going to follow through with her promise of mauling me. Instead, it was a big relief when she simply crossed her arms under her chest with a defeated sigh. "It seems I have no choice, do I?"

"Well you do, but one results in not getting the rabbits foot."

"Oh fine." She said, smirking. "But one wrrrong flirt and it'll be your last meal, elf boy."

"I'll be on my best behavior." At least until she gets stone cold drunk. Red never did say what condition she had to be in when we walked through the streets.

It was at that point our moment of bonding came to a halt. The door to the house Roxie had been rummaging around decided to open. We both turned in surprise as an old man rushed out onto the porch. Roxie backed into me, and I in turn held her shoulders in place mostly as a shield.

"SWEET MERCIFULL CRAP! MY FOOD!"

"So where's this place you want to take me to?" the mithra asked just as the old man noticed us.

"The other side of Windurst."

"I'll race you!"

"Get back here you young punks!" the old man shouted. Not that it did him any good. There was already little more than dust clouds where we once stood. That mithra never fails to impress. She kept up with a thief running full speed the whole time.


	5. Late to the Party

1.5Late to the party

_Roxie:_

How did I end up here? No, seriously. So much crap happened that I blinked and need someone to explain it. Twenty-four hours ago, I was worried about finding a girl to date for homecoming. Now I AM the girl and on a date with a perverted elvaan. Might as well get married and have some cat kids. That should finish off whatever is left of my sanity.

I was not sure how long Jonas and I ran from the scene of my looting rampage. In hindsight, I probably could have found a more orderly way to search for items. Not that it mattered either. I only need to put up with this elvaan for an hour or two and I will be home free with my rabbits foot. This whole ordeal will all be a bad dream when I wake up in my normal, male bedroom tomorrow.

First things first however, I need to wait for my unwanted partner to catch his breath. What a lousy thief he makes, even for an elvaan. Only a few miles worth of running and he looked on the verge of collapsing. It is almost pathetic the way he clasped his chest on shaking knees. I felt my own heart and its rate went up only a little bit from the exercise. In fact, I noticed that my body had not even broken a sweat. At least I did not have to worry about stinking up the place during dinner. Perhaps all these muscles were not just for show after all.

"Do you want me to carry you?" I asked him with a sweet smile, part of me starting to wonder if I could.

Jonas smirked back at me, still panting but finally able to walk again. "As much as I'd like that change of pace, we don't have much further to go anyway."

The elvaan jerked his thumb and my eyes followed the direction. Hard as it was to believe, I could not deny we had just run clearly from on side of Windurst to another. If memory served correctly, they referred to this area as Windurst Waters. The name is far from an exaggeration. Half the huts sat on piers over the bend of a giant river. Twisting around, I followed it under the pathways and below the grooves of trees. Odds are it went straight to Windurst Walls to feed that giant tree in the distance. Jonas said something at this point, yet my mind failed to register it. My eyes caught sight of a run away squirrel and filled my brain with the urge to chase it.

"Are you even listening to me?" Jonas waved a hand in front of my eyes to break the trance.

I rested a delicate hand on his shoulder and stared him straight in the eye. "Look, just because you're gay doesn't mean every gal finds it sexy."

It is amazing that elvaan faces can turn a shade darker than a red mage clothes. A group of tarutaru children bursting with laughter close by probably did not help much either.

He leaned in close to whisper softly in my flicking cat ear, "I'm beginning to loath you."

"How about just giving me the rrrabbit foot and I'll be on my way?"

"Nice try." Jonas countered with a wag of his finger. "I made a deal and it's bad policy to break it."

I crossed my arms under my chest in a huff. "So is starrring at girls butts, but you do that anyway."

"It's a loose structured policy." He shrugged. A strange noise emitted from his around his feet, almost like a car starting up, forming a small dust cloud. "Now let's hurry before happy hour is up."

Without warning, the dimwit of an elf grabbed my hand and took off running. All too late, I remember thieves have an ability that allows them to run with inhuman speed for short bursts. My feet tried to follow, but only made about two steps before they lost connection with the ground. The rest of my trip I spent getting a wonderful close up of the floors carpentry. A yelp escaped my lips every time my face connected with the wooden pier. That or the wood muffled me too much for him to hear me. I hope that there is a white mage wherever we were going, mostly for his sake than mine.

Mercy granted me a favor in that the trip ended shortly after it began. Jonas came to a sudden and very abrupt stop at the doorstep of his bar. However, I lost none of my momentum from the trip and slipped right out of his relaxed grip. The wall of wood and straw that got in my way never had a chance, but boy did it make a difference. Instead of tasting soaked wood, now I enjoyed the flavor of tree sap and bugs while lying disoriented on my back. At least I did not land on my tail.

"You're paying for thataru!" a childish voice screamed at me from close by.

I sat up to observe the damage and cursed at the familiar pain running through my lower spine. If this keeps up all my tail nerves will go numb. Light filtered in through a rather undignified shaped silhouette in the wall. To the right a tall tarutaru, by their standards anyway, stood behind a counter scowling down at me. Behind him sat several shelves of all sorts of nick knacks. Looks like I just discovered one of Windursts many duty-free shops.

"Are you hearing me?" the tarutaru shouted as I stood back up. "That whole wall has to be replaced now thanks to youtaru."

I staggered a bit and brushed off some tree leaves lodged between my pointed ears. Without saying a word, I made my way towards the new entrance. Yet my feet made about five steps before my tail caught on something. A sharp tug caused a less then human yelp to come out of my mouth. Whirling around I found myself staring at nothing, and then realized I had to look down to spot the shop owner.

"If you think you're getting out of here without paying for that wall, you're-"

Problems like this call for a direct approach. Using one hand to pick up the tarutaru, I brought him face to face with intentions of yelling a curse at the top of my lungs. Instead, what came out bordered with that of a lions roar. Everyone, including me, fell silent in dazed surprise.

"Thank you for shopping at Windursts Duty Free! Have a nice day!" The tarutaru may have been smiling, but his whole body stank of fear.

Dropping the shopkeeper back to solid ground, I made my way out via my own hole imprint. Jonas continued to stare with white eyes, which is starting to get a bit unnerving. Something told me this little mithra is standing out a lot more than she should. Even more reason to hurry up with this retarded idea of a date.

"Should we make this quick?" I said with a bit more edge than intended. After Jonas gave no reply, I reached under his chin and shoved his gaping jaw back up into place. This seemed to snap the elvaan out of his trance.

"Are you kidding? I'm thinking I want you as my bodyguard." My hand found its way around his long neck and he added a hasty, "That was a tease!"

"I would hope so." Releasing my death grip on him, I took a step back and gave a leading curtsy. "Afterrr you."

"Why, thank you kind lady!" Jonas turned to the doorway adjacent from my shop accident and flung them open.

"JONAS!!"

The doors slammed closed hard enough to make the dock tremble under us. The elf whirled to face me with his back braced hard against the entrance. Something told me to get a little clearance and I decided to comply, moving a few steps to the side.

"On second thought, you look more like a seafood girl. I know this great place in Mhaura that's very very far awa-"

Despite his best efforts, the doors exploded outwards, propelling a screaming Jonas into the air. Hot on his heals I saw another mithra emerge from the building. This one possessing a mane of waving blond hair, tied up in back for a neat ponytail. Strange that I do not remember that even being a selection for the games character creation method. The poor elvaan never made it to the ground. This strange catgirl reached out with a childish squeal and pulled him into a tight bear hug from behind.

"Jonas, my darling!" the catgirl screamed in between kisses and loving nuzzles all along his neck. Meanwhile Jonas gasped and struggled to breathe under her arms. Never knew faces could turn purple before. "I knew you'd come here if I waited long enough. Our love is like a magnet that will never keep us apart!"

The mithras eyes darted to me for a moment, and then did a double take. Amazing how fast joy turns to anger for no apparent reason. It makes me wonder if it applies to the whole mithra race. A cold shiver ran up my spine when her eyes scanned my leather-clad body.

"And just what is this?!" she said more to Jonas than me.

The elvaan gave no reply, too occupied with just trying to escape her strangle hold. My right hand somehow found the strength to raise itself, but instead of a wave, all I could manage is a nervous twitch.

"Um…hi?"

"OH JONSEY!" This bazaar mithra began to cry into the back of Jonas's head. Not that he seemed to care. For all intents, he looked dead at this point. "Here I am busting my tail to earn our dream home, and you're always running around with some cheap tramp."

"Excuse me!" A new surge of anger caused my tail to curl up in anger, but now is not the time to ponder strange sensations. "Just who the hell arrre you calling cheap?"

The mithra gave me a smirk. "You're right. That's giving you way too much credit."

"Eh heh." I used every muscle in my face to force a, at least I hope it looked, pleasant smile. "Maybe we should start over again? My name is Roxie."

"I'm Mai and THIS…" She squeezed Jonas for emphasis. Several neck bones snapped, sending his body into a spasm. "…is mine!"

"Good, I don't want him." I waved my hand trying not to look too relieved. With any luck, this psycho girl might be my ticket out of this date. "I'm just following him so I can get-"

"Money? Yeah we caught that already."

"Yes. I…wait, no!" Blood began to drip from my trembling palms, having clenched my fists a little too tight from embarrassment. "What the hell, cat witch? You're mind is so farrr in the gutter you're swimming Toraimarai Canal!"

Wait. Where did that come from? At no point did I know Windurst even HAS a canal system. My thoughts turned right back to that blasted moogle out in the fields. Plump marshmallow bastard worked a number on my brain after all. Somewhat scary to realize you know things without really knowing them, if that makes any sense. Mai, on the other hand, took my sudden silence as some form of additional insult. Not that she looked in the mood to take anything I said with a grain of salt.

"You're a little uppity for one of my Jonseys floozies." She released her hold on Jonas and stood to face me. What a pity that lovely green dress and apron covering her did nothing to hide the overflowing arrogance I sensed. In some ways, it is somewhat funny, since she stood about six inches shorter than I did.

"Floozies?" My gaze drifted to Jonas with a raised eyebrow.

"It's not what it sounds like!" he sputtered between gasps for breath. Somehow, I did not believe him.

"Of course it's not!" Mai stamped her foot on the wooden pier. Heeled sandals clicked in time with her rapid strut. In less then a blink her face stared only inches away from mine. "I'm the only woman in his life, and to hell with all you adventurer wannabes that can't earn a real living."

A rush of whispers made my cat ears twitch to catch them. Risking a glance towards the bar door I found it hard to be surprised. At least a dozen people of various races piled up on top of each other in an attempt to see the heated exchange going on.

"Look," I said as I turned to meet her glare. "I don't even like him. It's just that-"

"And just what is wrong with him!?" Mia picked up Jonas by his hair, dangling his limp body in my face. Waterfalls of tears rolled down the elvaans cheeks, eyes full of silent pleas. "This is the finest meat elvaan kind has to offer, and you got the guts to snuff a chance to get _paid_ for a sample?"

"Yes, I…wait, what!?" I staggered back, face burning bright red. "You are awarrre he's seeing girls besides you, right?"

"So what?" Mai tossed Jonas aside, placing hands on her hips in annoyance. "That's just how Jonsey plays around. Everyone knows his heart is truly in love with me. And that is all that really matters!"

A bird chirped somewhere nearby, which turned out to be the only source of sound in the walkway.

"There's something wrrrong with you," I finally said after a long pause. "I mean, seriously."

"Only problem I have is some old hag with her dirty claws all over my man."

"Old…hag!?" I counted backwards from ten, twice. Not that it helped, but at least I am trying not to kill her. I already know my new body is older, but I could not be more then mid-twenties. "In my defense, you're the one waving him around calling him prrrized meat, not me. If you'd just shut up and-"

The sound of skin smacking against skin echoed off the hut buildings. The shock almost made my feet buckle, soon becoming overlapped by the stinging aftereffect in my cheek. Tears nearly blinded me as I turned to match Mai's glare. The mithras lip curled into a fanged sneer while returning her palm to its respective hip.

"No one ever calls Jonas such things in front of me and gets away with it."

"BUT YOU JUST…" My chest rose up and lowered in slow rhythms, bad karma escaping through several deep breaths. At first it felt like I calmed down enough, but then I looked back at Mais eyes. "Ah, to hell with it!"

I can give several excuses for what happened next. Although that does not change the fact it felt good doing it. My balled up right fist wound up as far back as I could get it. The stance I took looked more like a pitcher about to throw a baseball. Mais expression turned from confused to horrified, making it feel even better as I lunged forward with all I had. One thing video games always teach me is that when words fail, a good punch to the face can be more effective.

She tried to brace for the impact a second too late. Knuckles struck dead on the center of her catlike face, sending Mai flying several feet and crashing onto her back. Even after landing her butt skidded across the wooden pier a few more inches. Judging by the sound it made, it did not appear to be a pleasant experience either. Every pair of eyes now stared at me in stupefied awe, jaws nearly scrapping the wood floor themselves. The poor mithra remained on the ground trying to recover from the shock of my blow.

"That felt good!" I declared with a flex of my feminine muscles. Turning to Jonas, I could not help but add, "Got any other girrrls I can beat up?"

Jonas buried his face into one hand, even though I swore I heard a little chuckle. When it emerged again, the rush of the moment faded with his solemn eyes. "I really wish you hadn't done that."

"Why?"

He pointed behind me while scooting behind some boxes for cover. I turned, curious to see if Mai recovered from my attack yet, and found myself just as stupefied as the crowd. She now stood hunched over on all fours, tail raised high and ears folded back like a wild animal. Blood still streamed from her new broken black nose and covered most of her lips and chin. Yet that paled to the way her dilated eyes trembled almost pure white. This girl must suffer some bad personal issues, if you ask me.

"You son of a!" she broke into a made dash, screaming an animalistic cry.

"Oh this is going to hurt," I muttered while letting my body go limp. No point trying to dodge her speed. Mais movements looked almost unnatural, just like my apparent strength.

She leapt into the air about three feet away from me, letting out a wild howl before the collision. Even with my bigger body, I do not think I ever stood a chance with that running start. Both of us went flying backward through a wall and into the bar, landing with a thunderous explosion. My mouth opened in an attempt to breathe, but only a hack got out. Damn that witch is better than she looks. Brings back memories of when I tried out for the schools football team. Not sure how long we grappled like this; Mai on top with hands reaching for my throat and me on bottom trying to hinder them. My legs flailed about, trying to get under in an attempt to kick her off.

At some point, someone decided to save me the trouble of kicking her snotty tail. My eyes caught a flash of movement from behind Mai, allowing the opening she needed to clasp my neck. However she never got the chance to tighten her grip before a blunt object struck her from behind. Mai gasped, eyes rolling into the back of her head as she collapsed into a heap on me. With a bit of effort I forced her tangled mass off me. And succeeded in clearing the way for a blow by the same object.

I regained conscious on a bed inside a strange mog house not my own. Red banners decorated the ways, displaying an emblem of winged horses supporting a large crown over crossed spears. The symbol of San d'Oria, I realized. Against the opposite wall stood a full suit of armor, supported by what might have been a mannequin. And next to it sat a desk where Jonas read a book with his back to me. Several thoughts ran through my mind at once, only one or two of which resembled pleasant ones. Using my elbows, I propped myself up into a sitting position letting the bed sheets roll off me. A hand went to my head and tried to rub away the storm inside. Did they really have to hit us so hard?

My body shivered from a cold breeze and I froze at the realization of something else. With great reluctance I glanced down and gasped. This caught the attention of Jonas, and I barely got myself rewrapped in the covers before he turned to smile at me. It felt like my face turned red and then flowed down to the rest of my body. While I am curious about what I look like naked, this is far from my ideal setting for it.

"Finally awake, m'lady? Hope you're head isn't too bad."

"Where am I? And morrre importantly, where the hell are my clothes!?"

"Oh, sorry." Jonas closed his book and fished out my leather attire from under his desk, tossing it onto my lap to avoid getting up. "Someone called the guard soon as you and Mai started fighting. Guess they didn't have a mage handy to bind you gals, so they just knocked you out."

Just thinking about that mithra caused me to growl. Not that my headache calmed me down either. "Well she started it." Jonas just laughed and fell silent. We both sat staring at each other expectedly for several minutes. "You going to turrrn around or what!?"

"Pfft, not like I haven't seen any of that before." Jonas jumped to his feet a second later and moved sideways to the door. My gaze, capable of cutting glass, followed him the whole way. "I mean, I'll just wait outside for you then. I already sent my moogle out on errands for the day."

In a flash he was gone. The door slammed shut behind him while I waited a few extra seconds. Just in case he decided to 'accidentally' open it again or something. After a bit, I felt secure enough to throw off the covers and dressed as fast as I could. Good thing I already mastered the art of putting on a harness. I only had to struggle with it for three minutes instead of five before it slid on right. Equipping my sword back onto my left hip, I made my way outside to find Jonas waiting for me. Together we walked side by side out of the residential area into Windurst Woods.

"Sorry about Mai," he said as we reached the bottom of the stairway.

"Could have been worse." I shrugged with a giggle as I looked back on the situation. "You could have told me you had a psycho girlfriend beforrre making our deal."

"She's more of a stalker friend than a girlfriend really." Suddenly a small black object appeared in my face, almost causing me to trip while we walked down the path to the giant tree square. I realized with a bit of shock that it is the black rabbits paw. "In any case, you might as well have this. With the damage you two caused, a second date might not be a good idea."

"Watching you get a fair share of beatings was a good trade actually." I swiped the pay from him feeling a new surge of relief. It took everything I had not to do a little dance. A sign of closure at last. All that is needed now is to turn it in. And not a moment too soon I realized while looking up at the sky. The normal blue color already turned to shades of orange and red, just a faint hint of blackness with only stars shinning through off to the west. "Wow, I must have been hit hard to be out all the way to nightfall."

"Nightfall?" Jonas burst out laughing. "They hit you a lot harder than that I'm afraid. It's already dawn."

It took Jonas several yards of walking to realize I no longer walked with him. My feet remained rooted in place just from hearing those words. Looking up at the night sky a little closer only confirmed it to be true. The sun IS rising, not setting. The elvaan said something to me, but I found myself too busy doing quick math to notice. I had been playing the game only two hours before the event ended. If assumed right that should give me two game days. Yet I lost consciousness several times since then, so lord only knew what time it is now. It might even mean…

"SHIIIIIIIIT!"

A blur of black leather and cattail zipped through the square, trampling anything that got in its way. The poor souls that lay in the ground, fresh foot imprints on their faces, never knew what hit them. After what felt like an eternity of running, I made it to the archway where the moogle hovered. It looked like I made it, but every second counts.

"Waitwaitwait!" I screamed upon reaching him. My shaking hand shot out at the moogle, trembling as I offered him the black rabbit foot. "I have a trade!"

"Good job, kupo!" The moogle praised with a bright smile. I let out a sigh of relief watching him reach for it. He got an inch from the paw, and then the loud ringing of and alarm clock sounded. Much to my dismay, the moogle pulled away with an apologetic look. "I'm sorry. The event is now officially over kupo."

"W-what? NO WAIT!" I lunged at the moogle too little too late. He vanished in an instant using a warp spell, leaving me standing there with nothing to do but gaze at the spot of air it once occupied. All sense of time lost its meaning. I did not even notice Jonas arrive until he patted me on the shoulder.

"look, I'm uh…really sorry you didn't get the prize." The elvaan struggled over his words, especially after seeing the way parts of me randomly twitched. "But if it's any consolation; they usually just hand out useless novelties. It's not like you can't just hold onto your paw and trade it next year…"

Next year. The two words echoed across a dark void deep inside me. I am stuck like this for a whole, real time, year. Stuck in a strange place, with the wrong body and no friends but my moogle. My family must be worried sick by now, or maybe they did not even know I am gone. Thoughts even began to drift on the subject of if I will stay alive long enough to see them again. Everything is gone forever, all because of one stupid, horny, brain-dead elvaan.

"Jonas…"

"Y-yes?" the neutral tone of my voice created a rain of sweat across his face.

I turned to face him, rolling my neck in slow circles as a form of stretching. "I've just been thinking about everything my life has gone through the past few days. And I've just realized a proper way to thank you for your part in all of it."

"Really?" Jonas raised an eyebrow, a tiny hit of a gleam in his eyes. "What did you have in mind?"

The answer is really the only practical action I could think of. Funny thing is Mai must be made of stronger stuff, or anger makes a wonderful stimulant. One knuckle sandwich to the jaw is all it took to send that bastard elvaan sailing several yards and crash into the bedrock surrounding the groove. The people nearby all gawked in amazement as the smoke cleared to reveal Jonas imbedded a good two feet and barely still awake. By the time the guards recovered to move in on the violence, I already vanished out of the archway into Sarutabaruta. Tears blinded me while I ran, not that I cared where I was going.

None of it matters anymore.


	6. Lazy Heroics

2.1Lazy Heroics

In hindsight, running away from my problems in a blind fit might not have been the best course of action. Especially since an area like Sarutabaruta houses potentially dangerous monsters for the inexperienced. A lot of them are waking up now to the bright morning sun and itching to find little cat girls with now idea how to even work their own damn bodies, much less defend themselves. Frankly, the idea of bees bigger than my head digesting my organs feels like nothing less than a godly reprieve. It is not as if I have anywhere to go. What else can a lowly mithra have left to lose?

The answer turned out to be my center of gravity. To be more specific; my feet pushed off against solid ground, only to come back down on a pile of cold, slimy things. Sobs of despair turned to cries of outright panic as I lost my balance and tumbled head first into a lake. Maybe it is a better alternative than running straight into it, I do not know. At least the cold water felt refreshing. Fire began to burn in my lungs, which were still recovering from my jog. Slender legs pumped for all they were worth, blasting my red head through the liquid surface for a gasp of fresh air.

"A bit early for a bath, isn't it?"

Ignoring the echoes of the water, I kicked my way towards the closest land. The task of getting out of the lake proved to be a very complicated one. My claw like nails dug through the grassy earth, yet failed to find the strength to heft my own weight. Boots kicked and clung to the ledge trying to push me up and sliding right off smooth bedrock. Lack of food takes it toll even on an abnormal mithran body. A date with Jonas sounds good right now if it involves food in the belly. Heck, I will even kiss Mais pompous fat a-

"Hey, you okay over there?"

The return of that voice gave a sudden realization that it was not coming from my head, but a little off to the left. Looking further up the bend made it easy to locate its owner; a hume male wearing blue colored clothes laced with brown linen. From this point, I could not see much of his face, as a red triangular hat with a long white feather covered it. He lay sprawled out on his side facing the lake, one hand resting his head for a pillow. In the other, he held a fishing pole made of a bamboo material that bobbed from the lax way he griped it.

Next to him, I blushed upon noticing the pile of fish strewn apart on the ground, a few even floating belly up in the lake. Even worse, drool began to trickle from the corners of my mouth the longer I stared at this persons catch. A loud rumble of hunger pains finished off the humiliating scene. Yet despite his apparent lack of drive, I saw a flicker of concern as he studied me.

"Are you alright, Miss?" he repeated.

"Oh, I'm just peachy. Thanks!" I shot back. Receiving a female title renewed a sense of anger, even if it is from a concerned stranger. Although on the plus side, it generated enough drive for my arms to drag my bubble butt out of the water. That turned out to be my limit. This mithra body sat anchored on hands and knees and refused to budge while regaining its breath. Water poured off my soaked leather clothes and bare skin into small puddles. Joints burned at the simple thought of moving them. It made me wish to be back in my morning fitness classes. I did not have to wear briefs that chaff there.

"If you say so," the man said and turned back to his fishing.

This is just what I need, another man with a winning personality. At least this one is overdosing on his Ritalin instead of Viagra. That or he just did not seem to care about typical damsels in distress. Somehow, I must have become a magnet for the best in Vana'diel, although this one does have a cute backside…

"ACK!" I shook my head to force out the bad thoughts. When did I start ogling my former gender? That got pushed back the instant my eyes caught sight of the fish laying just inches away from my feet. Even with my little trip covering them in dirt, the little beauties looked tasty. Staring at their rainbow scales glistening in the sunlight made my open mouth drool all over again. It did not help when my stomach let out a rumble that made rocks tremble.

The man threw out a new line with a chuckle, his head still not turning to my direction. "If you're hungry, help yourself. That small fry is barely enough to pay for my bait at the guild."

My kitty mind barely registered the second sentence, having already dived into the closest carp after the word 'help.' As is turns out, the fancy nails on my hands are not just for show. They made quick work of slicing through the scales, and sharp canines tore the juicy meat with ease. The flavor alone felt better than any candy, and the cold meat felt soothing as it ran down my throat. I stuffed as much as I could into my mouth, streams of water and saliva oozing down my chin. I only had enough state of mind left to chew a few times before swallowing. The process almost made me chock on a bone, but it felt good to have food getting back in the system. This feasting only went on for a few bites. That person did not kid when he called them small fry, but at least he had lots of them! Throwing aside the remains of scales and bones, I grabbed almost blindly for the nearest fish and began to rend its hide asunder.

The joy at getting food did not last long after my human, male mind finally caught up with instincts. It felt similar to a lightning bolt striking my tail as it dawned on just what I was gorging. My hands pulled away and I stared down at the dead creature. Its belly split open, reveling chunks of glossy white and purple meat. Lose bits of it began to fall off from the way my hands were shaking. Even more of the meat sat inside my bulging cheeks, sending my taste buds into frenzy. Half of my mind screamed to swallow it while the other begged me to barf. I ended up giving into the former. A small bulge traveled down my neck on its way to a very satisfied stomach. Fresh tears began to stream down to the already abundant mix of water and blood over my lips from the act. The remains of the fish flopped to the ground, its soulless eyes staring up at me. The whole thing felt wrong, yet natural.

"What the hell's happening to me!?"

The angler turned in surprise at my outburst. At least the raised eyebrow might be some sign of surprise. "I know some mithra pay respects to their food, but it's that a tad overdoing it?"

"A pathetic sight, indeed!" a voice from behind me nearly caused me to topple back in the lake. Glancing behind through the haze of tears, a woman barely looking in her teens towered over me. Despite the young age, black plated armor draped over her petit frame with no sign of hindering her movements. A double-edged sword, almost bigger than herself, hung across her backside. Her long black hair whipped in the wind while she stared down at me with cold blue eyes. The presence made me shudder more than the environment. "I came looking for a great mithra. Instead she's keeled over crying from petty incidents."

"I'm not a mithra!" I said through gushing tears. The phrase escaped my lips repeatedly, until it began to echo off in the distance. Each time a fist came down into the earth, digging little indentions from the impacts. As much as I would have wished it, simply screaming my head off changed nothing.

A hand grabbed my exposed tail, giving it a sharp tug. The girl laughed at my harsh yelp. I took a swipe in retaliation, but my claws came nowhere near their intended target. Damn, she moves fast in all that armor. "Sure look like a mithra to me. You even got a spark of defiance buried in there. Maybe you're not a hopeless case."

"Hey, you girls play nice!" the fisher warned. Even now, he looked more concerned with his recent cast then us.

"This doesn't concern you," the black woman shot back. Turning her eyes back down to me, she smirked. "You're still on your knees? I told them you would be a waste of time, but no one listens to Raven!" Her black metal boot glinted in the corner of my eye before it met with my chin, sprawling me onto my back in a daze. "Now get up!"

"Hey, play nice now girls!" the fisher warned with a bit more edge to his voice. That pole of his made rapid soft clicks while he reeled in his line.

Ignoring him completely, the girl slinked over to stand beside me. Her smirk parted to allow a soft chuckle through while looking down at me. It took all I had just to flip over on hand and knees. My teeth still rattled from the shock of her blow. That is about as far as I got before she grew impatient and delivered another kick into my ribcage. Screaming in pain, I toppled back into the lake. Moments later, I surfaced nearly gagging on the dirty water. My claws clutched desperately at the grassy edge to stay afloat. Time seemed to freeze as the sounds of metal scraping against a rough surface filled the air. Glancing up wide-eyed, the woman now towered over me on the lakes edge. Despite her swords large size, she held it at shoulder level with just one hand as if it weighed nothing.

"Goddess, you look so pathetic. I should consider this a personal favor." The girl shook her head, tsking. "It's such a shame, after we wasted so much of Infinities power giving you that body too."

"Y-you!?" Horror turned to shock, and then performed a beautiful spin into hate-filled rage. Trying to summon up the strength the lung at her throat proved futile. My body was still too malnourished, and my feet kept slipping on the smooth bedrock. "You did this to me!?"

"Well not me specifically, but did you think that moogle brought you here for the hell of it?" The girl that called herself Raven shrugged. Raising her sword back into a striking motion she added with fake sympathy, "I'm more like the one that 'takes care' of mistakes and flaws in the plans. Don't worry, it'll be quick."

Ravens giant blade came whizzing down and I braced for a swift death. That is how a missed what happened next. Those pointed cat ears of mine picked up the whooshing sound, followed by the clanging of metal hitting a solid object from above me. A few seconds of waiting made me realize I was not dead yet, so I inched my right eye open to see what had happened. The fisherman now stood between my attacker and me. His simple fishing pole held off the pressure of the giant sword with ease, surprising both of us. Although part of me was grateful someone came to my rescue, I had to turn away in embarrassment. Our current position had me staring up into his cute butt.

My blush only got worse at that last thought, not that they seemed to notice or care.

"This is none of your business!" Raven said. She pushed forward with her sword, but his stance held firm.

"I don't like seeing the helpless get slain," he retorted.

Raven smirked, those wicked eyes of her darted around for any way to turn the conflict in her favor. "You have no idea what's going on, do you? This 'girl' is about as worth protecting as a goblin whelp. Walk away while you can, or all hell will come…"

She trailed off with sounds of confusion and anger. Unable to fight curiosity, I looked up again to see. Although the man was still standing in a defensive position, his head now hung forward in a slight bob. Eyes closed and heavy breathing made it pretty clear what had happened. The stupid bastard had fallen asleep!

"I think I'm being mocked," Raven muttered, stepping back. The mans arms fall limp to his sides, though still having a limp grasp on his fishing pole. This only seemed to anger Raven more, as she drew her sword back in a slicing motion aimed for his neck.

At first, I was hoping this was some form of provoking, but he still made no response to the coming attack. In the end, catgirl instinct took over and I did the only thing that made sense at the time; I lunged out of the lake best I could and sank my sharp canines into his shin. While there may be better ways to wake a person up, it had the desired effect. The man jumped awake with a shrill yelp, and then ducked just in time to have his hat sliced off by Ravens sword.

"Thanks," he muttered before lunging back up. The fishing pole shot forward in a quick series of jabs, forcing Raven to jump back to avoid the blows.

"Don't mention it," I replied with slight sarcasm. Somehow, my feet finally found a solid footing and I crawled out of the lake for a second time. This ended up making my belly and breasts very sore, but I did not have the strength to work above a crawl.

Raven seemed just as surprised by the mans movements as me. The two spared for several minutes, neither gaining any ground. She would swing with her giant sword, only to have it parried and counter attacked. She would dodge the attack with equal ease and the cycle repeated itself. With each failure, a vein on the girls forehead grew a little bit bigger. Finally, she could stand no more and leapt back to create several yards distance.

"That mithra may be weak but her luck in friends is rather annoying." Raven regained her composure and returned the giant sword to her backside. The man said nothing as he strolled over to retrieve his fallen hat from the ground. Despite having a rip across the front from the sword blow, he returned it to a rest on top of his head. "And just what name do you go by, annoying fisherman?"

"Taylor D. Conrad," the man replied with a tip of his hat. "And for the record, I'm a red mage, not a fisherman."

"I'll remember that name. Especially if you continue to hang around a girl destined for trouble." Raven pulled out a scroll from her item pouch. It instantly burst into flames and the effects of a warp spell began to envelop her body. I looked up just in time for my eyes to meet hers. The horrid gaze behind them would haunt me for days to come. "Be seeing you again."

With those parting words, the black mist evaporates and the girl was gone. Conrad waited a few more seconds in the silence of the clearing before moving to my side.

"You doing alright, miss?"

Despite everything, I could only smile up at him in my helpless state. "I can honestly say I've had better days."

"I can imagine," he said with a returned smirk. I made no effort to resist as he bent down to help me stand up. However, I only made it to my knees before a sharp pain in my side stopped me cold. Conrad frowned and gently inspected the area of my torso, which caused me to flinch. "It looks like she broke some of your ribs with that last kick. We had better find you a white mage."

"What about your fish?" I said, trying not to grunt as he wrapped my arm around his shoulders. Another wrap around my waist for support, and I really started to have mixed feelings. The embrace did not feel disturbing, yet that was exactly what disturbed me. At least he was not trying to feel me up as Jonas would in this situation.

"I told you, they're just small fries. Let's worry about you first."

Once again, I felt my face grow hot in embarrassment. Still, I turned to give him a sincere thank you. The words never got a chance to leave my mouth, which was left hanging open. Conrads head had rolled back to use my arm as a pillow while he slept soundly. His body still stood upright and acting as a support to my own. As you can probably imagine, my reaction was swift and appropriate.

I threw him into the lake.


	7. Not in the Job Description

2.2 Not in the job description.

_Crysten_

"And then Frankie got caught up in the moment and shot a cactaur by mistake…"

Guard duty again. Of all the things I could be doing today, they chose sitting me in full armor to sweat off calories. If only mom and dad could see me now. Odds are they would point and laugh. Then comes the lecture on how staying in Bastok would have lead to a much better life. Settle down, find a nice husband, pop out some little Humes, then feel my butt grow big watching Galka do the closest thing to real work around that city.

"...and let me tell you, they don't call that attack 'thousand needles' for nothing!"

No, I had to be the unique member of the family. The parents were so proud when their daughter ran away to become an adventurer. Still trying to figure out how wanting to help combat evil makes me selfish, but that is parent logic for you. It was all worth it too. Sleeping practically on the streets of San'Doria, while training under snot nosed elves for five some years to become a first class paladin. Just look where it got me now, standing at the archway of Windurst watching rabbits beat up amateur tarutaru…

"…took nearly four hours to get them all out of my ass! You don't even want to know the pain after wards. I couldn't sit down properly for a month."

Listening to a mithra tell anecdotes that would disturb the Shadow Lord himself. I should have been a samurai. They at least have a ritual for suicides in their code.

"Crysten, are you listening to me?"

"What?" I looked over at my fellow gate guard, brushing some loose blond bangs out of my face. "Sorry, I wasn't listening to you."

"Funny!" The mithra, I think her name is Zoë, smirked at me. "You humes always have such sharp wits? Or were you just born a bitch?"

"It's my boredom talking." That and the babbling of too much info, but saying that aloud might hurt her feelings.

Zoë shook her head. "You say that all the time. Not like everyday is going to be some end of the world crisis."

I leaned against the walls of the arch and glanced over at her. The mithra now occupied herself by playing with that little wyvern always following her around. Dragoons get cute pets. Maybe that would have been a better career choice.

"They told me Windurst was always full of excitement. Can you blame me if this doesn't meet expectations?"

"Oh come on. We've had a very busy day and you call it boring?"

"Save some tarutaru from Spinney Spipi, give directions to the Auction house only a block away and watch an Elvaan get punched into a stone wall." I counted each event off on my fingers. The last one made me stop and grin at the mithra. "Well I guess we are earning our gil for the day then."

Zoë opened her mouth to say something, but something seemed to grab her attention. "Speaking of which, isn't that the mithra from earlier?"

I glanced over in the same direction and raised an eyebrow. Coming around the hill towards us at a limping pace was a mithra in leather made clothes hanging off the shoulders of a taller male hume in the traditional fisher's tunic. One of his arms wrapped around her waist for support and judging be her twisted expressions she was having a painful time walking. Both were rather quick to recognize. Conrad always gives me a friendly greeting when he goes fishing. It is the fact he enjoys doing it every single day that almost makes my job seem bearable. The mithra had passed by us no less then an hour ago in a fit of tears after we heard a loud crash just inside the city. We found out during the shift change she punched an elvaan so hard the impact left him a foot deep in bedrock. Not to mention the rumors she bested Mai in a fight just outside the taverns of the Waters district. She was quickly becoming the gossip of the day. As they got closer, I also noticed another odd thing. A lot of light was glistening off their bodies. Then it suddenly dawned on me both were soaking wet. Either they decided to have a pool party in the pond or…something best left not thought about.

"Why can't my life be that exciting?"

"Huh?" Zoë cocked her head to the side at my unexpected outburst. At the same time, my cheecks felt more then a little burned.

"Uh, I mean they look like they need help."

"Good idea," my partner turned to them and shouted, "Hey you guys need help!?"

"Very nice," I grunted trying to rub her shrill howl out of my ears.

They looked up in surprise, just now noticing our presence. Conrad grew a wide smile at the sight of me and waved back. The mithra looked less than overjoyed and even a bit flustered. Suddenly she shoved her supporting hume away and straightened up in an attempt to look dignified.

"Thanks for the help, but I can walk from here," she said.

Conrad tried to start a protest, but she only made it two steps before falling to the ground anyway. Arms wrapped tightly around her abdomen as she mewed in distress. That cat-like mithra tail lashed about in the air behind her. Zoë and I were by her side in an instant, rolling her onto her backside to better inspect the damage.

"What happened?" I heard Zoë ask Conrad.

"Hell if I know. One minute I'm doing my usual rounds and this mithra ran straight into the pond. Soon as she gets out this Dark Knight showed up and nearly killed her."

"Dark knight?"

Zoë and I exchanged looked, but all I could off was an ignorant shrug. Turning my attention back to the red haired mithra on the ground, I began stroking her ears in an attempt to calm her. It looked like it helped a little, but now her expression almost appeared offended by the gesture. At least it stopped her spasm. "Where are you hurt, miss?"

"Oh, prrretty much the area I'm clenching in agony," she replied between pants.

I nodded. "Good, sarcasm. That's a very healthy sign. Let's have a look at you then."

Very gently, I rolled up the hem of her leather shirt just below her bust. The mithra flinched but offered no resistance. A quick feel along the abdomen told everything needed about her injuries. Thank the goddess for those white mage classes.

"You call yourself an adventurer? This is just a few bruised ribs."

The mithra gave a dry laugh. "Hey, for a teenager in arrrmor she had one hell of a kick."

Shaking my head in disbelief, I set about easily fixing the problem. My hand began to emit a fait glow as it settled over the damaged spot. Within seconds, the purple welts faded and some light snapping of bones was herd. The mithra winched in a moment of discomfort and then blinked as all pain immediately ceased. What a strange girl this was, getting all impressed by a basic cure spell. Windurst must be getting lax about its training standards.

"Good as new!" My fingers rapped her abs, getting a started mew in response. There were no signs of continued injury so the angry glare was easy to ignore. Instead, I fixed my gaze on Conrad. "And you, sir, are a freaking red mage. Why didn't you heal her already?"

Conrad stopped his game of poking Zoë's wyvern with his fishing pole to give me a blank stare. "Well…uh…"

"Goddess, can't you stay awake long enough to remember anything?"

"For your information; I've only fallen asleep twice today!" Upon noticing Conrad's attention on me, the little dragon bit into the end of his fishing pole. Now seeing the little creature shatter bamboo in only two bites was something to be impressed with. The remains were sent flying with a flick of its long neck to land in front of Zoë, who was in a fit of giggles. Conrad glanced at the remains still in his hand before tossing it over his shoulder.

"Is that really something to be prrroud of?" the red haired mithra muttered.

"Trust me; you should see him when it rains." I offered her a hand up, which she accepted after a moment's hesitation. "I'm Crysten. The girl stroking her lizard is Zoë."

"Wyverns are not lizards!" Zoë hissed back. Her hand never stopped petting her companions head with cheecks flushed. The little lizard yipped in agreement.

"Roxie," the other mithra replied. I watched her prod her own belly, still a little in awe. "Thanks for the…uh…healing."

"Comes with the job description." What a weirdo. Inexperienced adventurers come and go by the buttload, but never one this totally witless. It was almost as if she just stepped out of the city for the first time in her life. Oh well, have to stay polite or those stupid cats might not pay me. "So what was all this about a dark knight attack?"

"Hell if I know!" Roxie tried to brush the damp bangs of her hair away, only to have them fall back into her eyes. "I'm having a bad enough time as it is without some chick in black arrrmor beating on me. She said her name was Raven or something."

A sharp gasp caught all of our attention. I turned to Zoë and was more surprised at the way color drained from her features. No one really noticed when she dropped her pet wyvern onto its back. The small creature hissed in displeasure before scuttling a short distance away. I could not help but raise an eyebrow at my partner. Not every day someone like her gets their tail fur in a fuzz.

"R-Raven?! As in Raven Ravana?"

"Old friend?"

"Hardly!" Zoë laughed, trying to hide the shaking of her hands behind her back. "She's only one of the top ten wanted criminals to ever come out of Windurst. That kitten is lucky to even be alive right now."

"Well I was saved by a narcoleptic fisherman." Roxie gave Conrad a slap on the back. He yelped in a mix of surprise and pain, staging forward a few steps. She scratched her slender chin in thought. "Although she did mention some nonsense about 'Infinity.' No idea what that is."

"You're welcome," Conrad muttered. I tried my best not to laugh while watching him confirm his shoulder was still in tact. "Do you work out or just overdose on potions? Geez."

"Diet and exercise my friend," Roxie replied with a smile sweet enough to give cavities. I thought it was funny, but Zoë killed the mood with that ready to faint look she still had. With hands on hips, Roxie turned back to me looking almost casual. "So can I go now, or is your friend about to have a nervous break down?"

"Just one more thing," Zoë interrupted before I could dismiss our company. She failed to acknowledge my questioning gaze, but from my position, I could see her hands wrap around the spear on her backside. "Have you by chance had an encounter with a black rabbit's foot?"

Now it seemed to be Roxies turn to look flabbergasted. Personally, I would give my left lung to know what anyone was saying. The conversation lost me around narcolepsy and steroids.

"I…how the hell…"

I watched her reach into the pouch hanging off her belt and produce what looked like a rarab's paw. Only it was a bit odd seeing one with black fur. Never knew those even existed. Not a moment after it came into view then Zoë's spear whipped out. The point pressed hard against Roxie's neck, leaving the cat looking ready to wet her leather.

"What the hell are you doing?" I scream, although I made no move to stop or support her. Like most things mithra do, this sudden hostility made no sense. Yet she looked very stern in her fighting stance.

"By the authority of Windurst, you are under arrest!"

A silence fell over the area, broken only by light snoring from Conrad.


	8. Exposition and Adventure

2.3 Exposition and Adventure

_Roxie_

Mom always said I was a magnet for trouble. Like the bullies that picked on me all through grade school. Then there was that time fire broke out in the local library, but that was hardly my fault. More as if I was the patsy no one would believe. I guess that trait passes over even after you switch sex, species, and physical planes of exsistence. Not even mid-day and already I find myself before the Windurst mithra chieftainess, who is studying me like a criminal. That has to be some kind of record.

It was more an uneasy silence at first. The mithra chieftainess took turns between examining the black rabbit's foot in her hands and me. At first glance, she could have been mistaken for any other mithra. Only thing that made her stand out from the other scantly clad catgirls inside the throne's cove were the painted patterns sparkling across her exposed belly and arms. Oddly enough, if I were not on my knees in shackles, this scene would feel somewhat erotic.

"It's been a while since this abomination returned to our midst." The leading mithra rested the paw in her lap, fixing me with a neutral gaze. Despite having no emotion, her gaze made a chill run down to my tail tip. "So what unfortunate circumstances brought you about?"

For a few seconds, I could do little more then stare. My mind swam in circles trying to get a handle on how to proceed. Finally, after a deep breath, the entire two days worth of story poured out in long-winded sentences. Anyway, history has proven I am a terrible liar. Even if I did make something up, odds are they would not believe it any more than the truth. Surprisingly, I only got a few looks of disbelief and giggles from the mithra guards when going over my transformation. Crysten only interrupted once to ask what for a detailed idea of what a 'PC' and 'video game' were. Even after I answered, it did nothing to help the glazed look in her eyes.

"Interesting," the chieftainess said after I came to the part with her guards putting me in shackles and dragging me to her throne. It looked more like a fancy carved stool to me, but why point that out to amazons carrying sharp weapons?

My ears perked up with renewed hope. "You believe me?"

"Not in the least." She stood amidst giggles from her guards and began to circle me. Piercing green eyes roamed up and down the curves of my body searching, making me shiver with goose bumps. "Then again, our understanding of your past may be irrelevant to the current situation."

"Um…what arrre you doing?"

"Just curious where your mark might be." Rough claws yanked back the collar of my shirt. I started to protest but the guard's tension silenced it. One of her fingers pressed onto my bare skin just between the shoulder blades. I had to use all my willpower to resist flinching. "Ah here it is."

"What? What mark?"

I looked over in vein to see just what this crazed catgirl was doing, but could not see the area in question. Crysten inched forward a littler curious herself.

"Is that a paw print?" she asked the chieftainess. This caused a round of nervous glances between the other mithra present.

"Afraid so." She stood and made her way back to her seat. "Zoë, undo her chains."

"Ma'am?" Poor girl; if her face went any paler she might pass out from lack of brain function. "She could be dangerous."

"I don't believe she is, not directly. However this does raise many disturbing questions."

"I don't know what to tell you," I said while Zoë unlocked my shackles. Damn those things were on tight. Almost cut the skin of my wrists. "I'm still trying to figurrre out half the stuff going on myself."

"Can I join the club?" Crysten muttered from behind me.

The chief looked almost amused now, holding up the rabbits paw for all to see. "You really have no idea what this is, do you?"

My head tilted in mock consideration. "I'd say the rrremains of a very unlucky rabbit?"

"Good guess, but not that accurate." She tossed the paw into my lap, which I pocketed in relief. It is going to be a long year trying to keep the damn thing safe. "Are you familiar with Mithran lore?" I shook my head. "Well given your story I'd assume not. Anyway, the legend goes; back in the time of the Zilarts fall, the great goddess Altana created our five races in the wake of her tears. Her counterpart, the twilight god Promathia, deeply resented this action. Before his final imprisonment, he made abominations with the intention of seeing our races wiped from existence. One such creature took fascination on the mithra race and tried to undermine us against our allies."

"How sinisterly original," I muttered before I could catch myself.

The chieftainess laughed along with Crysten, who I thought had fallen asleep by now. "Still, it worked. Almost all the males of our society were swayed and those of us female that resented its teaching had to follow in their actions. If not for the uprising of a heroic party, I shudder to think of the consequences." She gestured at my body with a smirk. "You should consider it lucky you became female. After the abomination fled, Altana punished mithra men from ever leaving our homeland again. Breaking that tradition has severe repercussions. "

"Oh, I'm as ecstatic about that now as I was after waking up like this." That was a perfect mix of sarcasm and truth. Go me! "So what's that have to do with my tattoo thing?"

"I'm getting to that!" she replied with a bit of ice in her tone. My tail and ears instantly lower in submission, so she continued. "The abomination's true name, we do not know. She carefully kept that a secret even from her highest subordinates. Only title we have is what those chosen as disciples called her: Infinity. Those individuals bare her black paw print and posses gifts beyond any of the five races. We generally refer to them as black rabbits."

"Oh crrrap." I shuffle a bit uneasily in my seat, causing the guards to rest paws on their weapons. "But I haven't even heard of this deity or whatever until that other psycho rrrabbit girl attacked me."

"Raven's not a black rabbit. Only mithra are marked with Infinity's blessing." A light suddenly ding inside my mind. Something about her words that had been bothering me started to make sense. She seemed to notice my expression and smirked with amusement. "Did you think you were the first changed victim? Odds are you will not be the last either. Although you are the first we've captured to be so open about such an odd origin."

My whole self just slumped forward. It was getting hard to hold my chin up anymore. "I just want to go home."

"I'm sorry that's beyond our power. Only person who probably can help is the one that did this." Before I could say anything, the chief raised a hand to silence me. "And no, we don't know whoever is following Infinity's will. All we really have to work on is rumors and guesswork from our tarutaru brothers. Most of your kind is hardly cooperative, and usually ten times as violent."

I took a moment to glance around at the other mithra gathered. Their chieftainess's words seemed to ring with truth. Most of them were relaxed again, but still gazed back with a mix of pity and loathing. As if, they could not decide which feeling to go with.

"So what happens to me now?" I asked when my gaze returned to the leading mithra.

Her answer was little more than a shrug. "I guess that depends on you. My advice is not to rely on that trinket. In fact, throw it away when you get the chance. No good will come from carrying it around."

"I…can't." My hand came to rest on the pouch carrying my meager supplies. The weight of the rabbit's foot inside felt heavier in that moment. "It's my only chance."

"I wouldn't say your only one." My ears shot up erect with the rest of my face, giving her my full attention. "Raven is obviously connected to Infinity in some way. If you can bring her back here, you'd earn our trust and we might be able to find out a greater deal about these monsters."

"You'rrre kidding, right?" Well that would not be the first time I felt my hopes dashed into a brick wall. I thought playing this as a game was unfair. "She almost ran me through the firrrst time we met. Besides, I have no idea where to look for her."

"Wait, we do!" Crysten spoke up from behind, making me nearly jump out of my boots. "Sorry, I just suddenly remembered. Raven has a notoriously good standing with the yagudo because of her history with Windurst."

"Exactly," the chieftainess said with a nod. "And if she was this close to the city recently, odds of finding her in Giddius might be pretty good."

"So all I got to do is walk into a beastman stronghold and find a girl that can kick my cat-tailed ass." I stood up and wiped dirt from said cat rump. "What's the hard part?"

"Well if you're that worried, you have my permission to take Crysten with you. You'd be hard pressed to find a better guardian in our city."

"You bet I…wait what?" Crysten blinked several times, apparently a few sentences behind on the conversation.

The chief rested her chin on the back of a hand, giving the paladin a sweet smile. "Well you always are complaining that guard duty is too boring for your extreme skills."

"Well..uh…" The hume's face turned a new shade of pink as some of the gathered guards began to chuckle. Finally, she turned to me with a shrug. "She's got me there."

I had to admit, there was some personal doubts about trusting a blond girl with my life. Chalk that up to bad dating experiences in eighth grade. Still, she seemed the closest thing to a normal person I have met so far.

"Guess we're partners then. Hope you're not allergic to wild vines. Giddy is covered with them and you'd be surprised where those can end up."

Like I said, she seems very normal.

The chieftainess cleared her throat to get our attention and waved us off. "Well, if you both have no objections, I have other business to attend to. May Altana watch over you in your quests, Roxie."

Crysten saluted in parting and I quickly mimicked the gesture. No point in being rude to someone who can have me killed on a whim. Our boots clanked along the wooden piers as we filed out back into the center of Windurst's Woods district. We had just started to pass the giant tree in the center square when I halted in my tracks. It just occurred to me that no one mentioned my name during the whole exchange.

"What? Are you getting cold feet already?" Crysten slapped me on the back in support. Her pretty face twisted in pain for a passing moment as she pulled her hand hastily back. Then the cheery smile returned even while rubbing the reddened palm. "Relax; I've been waiting for a chance at adventure for a long time."

"Adventure, huh?" I said and we continued our march towards the city gates. "Fucking grrreat!"


End file.
